Systems and methods for managing purchase transactions associated with a discount document having an unrecognized identifier

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for managing purchase transactions associated with a discount document having an unrecognized identifier are disclosed. According to an aspect, a method includes receiving an identifier of a document associated with a discount. The method also includes receiving user input that associates the identifier with a purchase transaction. Further, the method includes applying the discount to the purchase transaction. The method also includes processing an audit of the purchase transaction based on the document.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/929,544, filed Jan. 21, 2014, and titled POINT OF COMMERCE SYSTEMS AND METHODS, and claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/824,351, filed May 16, 2013, and titled POINT OF COMMERCE SYSTEMS AND METHODS; the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to retail services. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for managing purchase transactions associated with a discount document having an unrecognized identifier.

BACKGROUND

In retail environments, such as grocery stores and other “brick and mortar” stores, customers frequently use coupons or other documents for obtaining a discount or rebate for the purchase of one or more items. Coupons are customarily issued by manufacturers of goods or by retailers for use in retail environments as part of sales promotions. They are often widely distributed through mail, coupon envelopes, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, directly from the retailer, and mobile devices such as smartphones.

Coupons or other documents presented for purchase discounts typically include a code or other identifier for use in associating the document with an item for sale. For example, a coupon may include a universal product code (UPC) or alphanumeric text that can be entered into a retailer's point of sale (POS) system for applying a discount in a purchase transaction. The POS system may store or otherwise have access to a database of coupon codes. Each code in the database may be used to associate the coupon with one or more items for purchase. After the code is associated with an item to be purchased, a discount associated with the item may be applied to the purchase transaction by a POS terminal.

In some instances, a coupon or other document may not be recognized by the POS system. In such instances, a POS terminal may prompt the user to enter information to apply a discount to the purchase transaction for satisfying the customer and for permit monitoring by back office personnel. For example, the user may enter information about the coupon, the amount or percentage of the discount, and whether the discount is to be applied to a particular item or the entire purchase. However, improved POS systems and techniques are needed for managing coupons or other documents when their codes or other identifiers are not recognized.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for managing purchase transactions associated with a discount document having an unrecognized identifier. According to an aspect, a method includes receiving an identifier of a document associated with a discount. The method also includes receiving user input that associates the identifier with a purchase transaction. Further, the method includes applying the discount to the purchase transaction. The method also includes processing an audit of the purchase transaction based on the document.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of various embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the drawings provided herein. For the purposes of illustration, there is shown in the drawings exemplary embodiments; however, the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a purchase transaction system or POS system according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an example method for managing a purchase transaction associated with a discount document having an unrecognized identifier in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; and

FIGS. 3-6 depict screen displays of an example sequence of windows for receiving user input for associating an identifier with a discount document.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently disclosed subject matter is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or elements similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the term “step” may be used herein to connote different aspects of methods employed, the term should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.

As referred to herein, the term “computing device” should be broadly construed. It can include any type of device including hardware, software, firmware, the like, and combinations thereof. A computing device may include one or more processors and memory or other suitable non-transitory, computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code for implementing methods in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. A computing device may be, for example, retail equipment such as POS equipment. In another example, a computing device may be a server or other computer located within a retail environment and communicatively connected to other computing devices (e.g., POS equipment or computers) for managing accounting, purchase transactions, and other processes within the retail environment. In another example, a computing device may be a mobile computing device such as, for example, but not limited to, a smart phone, a cell phone, a pager, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile computer with a smart phone client, or the like. In another example, a computing device may be any type of wearable computer, such as a computer with a head-mounted display (HMD). A computing device can also include any type of conventional computer, for example, a laptop computer or a tablet computer. A typical mobile computing device is a wireless data access-enabled device (e.g., an iPHONE® smart phone, a BLACKBERRY® smart phone, a NEXUS ONE™ smart phone, an iPAD® device, or the like) that is capable of sending and receiving data in a wireless manner using protocols like the Internet Protocol, or IP, and the wireless application protocol, or WAP. This allows users to access information via wireless devices, such as smart phones, mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios, communicators, and the like. Wireless data access is supported by many wireless networks, including, but not limited to, CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN, TETRA, DECT, DataTAC, Mobitex, EDGE and other 2G, 3G, 4G and LTE technologies, and it operates with many handheld device operating systems, such as PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS, OS/9, JavaOS, iOS and Android. Typically, these devices use graphical displays and can access the Internet (or other communications network) on so-called mini- or micro-browsers, which are web browsers with small file sizes that can accommodate the reduced memory constraints of wireless networks. In a representative embodiment, the mobile device is a cellular telephone or smart phone that operates over GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), which is a data technology for GSM networks. In addition to a conventional voice communication, a given mobile device can communicate with another such device via many different types of message transfer techniques, including SMS (short message service), enhanced SMS (EMS), multi-media message (MMS), email WAP, paging, or other known or later-developed wireless data formats. Although many of the examples provided herein are implemented on smart phone, the examples may similarly be implemented on any suitable computing device, such as a computer.

As referred to herein, the term “user interface” is generally a system by which users interact with a computing device. A user interface can include an input for allowing users to manipulate a computing device, and can include an output for allowing the computing device to present information and/or data, indicate the effects of the user's manipulation, etc. An example of a user interface on a computing device includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to interact with programs or applications in more ways than typing. A GUI typically can offer display objects, and visual indicators, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation to represent information and actions available to a user. For example, a user interface can be a display window or display object, which is selectable by a user of a computing device for interaction. The display object can be displayed on a display screen of a computing device and can be selected by and interacted with by a user using the user interface. In an example, the display of the computing device can be a touch screen, which can display the display icon. The user can depress the area of the display screen where the display icon is displayed for selecting the display icon. In another example, the user can use any other suitable user interface of a computing device, such as a keypad, to select the display icon or display object. For example, the user can use a track ball or arrow keys for moving a cursor to highlight and select the display object.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a purchase transaction system or point of sale (POS) system 100 according to embodiments of the present invention. The system 100 may be implemented in whole or in part in any suitable purchase environment for conducting purchase transactions. For example, the system 100 may be implemented in a retail store such as at a POS terminal. Referring to FIG. 1, the system 100 may include a transaction terminal 102 that may include a transaction module 104, such as a POS application. The transaction terminal 102 may be communicatively coupled to a scanner 106, a user interface 108, and an item detection device 110. The transaction module 104 may be an application that executes on a processor of the transaction terminal 102. The transaction terminal 102 may include any suitable hardware, software, and/or firmware for implementing functions and processes in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The system 100 may include any number of transaction terminals, and only one transaction terminal is shown in FIG. 1 for convenience of illustration.

The scanner 106 may be capable of reading a machine-readable image representing data from an item 112 for purchase. The scanner 106 may be a handheld device that can be passed over a barcode (e.g., a universal product code (UPC) or any other machine-readable image) on the item 112 or may be built into a counter or platform whereby products are passed over the scanner. Further, the scanner 106 may read data from purchase items and transmit the data to the transaction terminal 102 via, for example, a wireless or wireline connection. In an example, the machine-readable image on the item 112 may represent identification of the purchase item. Identification of the item may alternatively be provided to the transaction terminal by, for example, a user entering an identifier, such as a number, representing the item. The identification may be used for accessing data associated with the purchase item, such as, but not limited to, information for determining a category or pricing of the item 112.

The user interface 108 may include a keyboard device that enables a shopper to input account and payment information for processing by the transaction terminal 102. For example, the user interface 108 may include a scanning device for reading a shopper's financial card (e.g., credit card or debit card) including account number. The keypad device may enable a shopper to enter a personal identification number (PIN) if using a debit card. The user interface 108 may include a display for displaying purchase and transaction information to the shopper. For example, the user interface 108 may be a touchscreen display for displaying text and graphics and for receiving user input. The user interface 108 may be communicatively coupled to the transaction terminal 102 via wireless or wireline elements.

The item detection device 110 may include a scale, sensor, or other instrument that captures information relating to purchase items. In an example, the item detection device 110 may detect the presence of a purchase item at a bagging area. Further, for example, the item detection device 110 may capture weight, dimension, color, and/or other measurements of purchase items. The transaction terminal 102 may use this information for identifying the item. The item detection device 110 may be communicatively coupled to the shopper terminal 110 via wireless or wireline elements (e.g., serial cable, 802.11 technologies, and the like).

The scanner 106 may be capable of reading a machine-readable image representing an identifier from a discount document 114. The discount document 114 may be a coupon or other document associated with a discount that a customer presents when purchasing the item 112 and/or other items. For example, the discount document 114 may be a coupon including a barcode identifying a manufacturer ID, a family code, and a value code. The scanner 106 may be used to scan the barcode of the coupon. The transaction module 104 may determine whether the identifier is recognized and whether the coupon corresponds to an item for purchase. In response to determining that the identifier is recognized and corresponds to an item for purchase, transaction module 104 may apply the value of the coupon to the purchase transaction.

In some instances, the transaction terminal may receive an identifier of a discount document and not recognize the identifier. In these instances, the discount document may be managed in a purchase transaction in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein. Particularly, FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart of an example method for managing a purchase transaction associated with a discount document having an unrecognized identifier in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The method of FIG. 2 is described in examples as being implemented by the system 100 shown in FIG. 1, although it should be understood that the method may be implemented by any suitable system.

Referring to FIG. 2, the method includes receiving 200 an identifier of an item for purchase. For example, the scanner 106 shown in FIG. 1 may be used to scan a barcode printed on packaging of the item 112. This scan may initiate a purchase transaction for the purchase of the item 112. In addition to the item 112, one or more other items may be scanned for inclusion with the purchase transaction. The transaction module 104 may receive the barcode information for suitable use in obtaining pricing information for the item 112.

The method of FIG. 2 includes receiving 202 an identifier of a document associated with a discount. Continuing the aforementioned example, the scanner 106 may be used to scan a barcode printed on the discount document 114, which is a coupon in this example. The transaction module 104 may receive the identifier of the coupon.

Continuing the method of FIG. 2, the method includes determining 204 whether the identifier of the discount document is recognized by a POS system. Continuing the aforementioned example, the transaction module 104 may perform a lookup in a memory 116 or access the server 106 to determine whether the identifier on the coupon is recognized or accepted by the system. In response to determining that the identifier of the discount document is recognized, the method includes processing 206 the purchase transaction. For example, the transaction module 104 may manage conducting a purchase transaction for the item 112 and apply the discount of the discount document 114.

In response to determining that the identifier of the discount document is not recognized, the method of FIG. 2 includes receiving 208 user input that associates the identifier with a purchase transaction. For example, the transaction module 104 may control the user interface 108 to present a prompt to the user for requesting an identifier of the discount document 114. The identifier may be an alphanumeric code, for example. The user interface 108 may receive a user's manual entry of the identifier, and may communicate the identifier to the transaction module 104. Further, for example, the transaction module 104 may control the user interface 108 to present a prompt for requesting information indicating a discount associated with the discount document 114. For example, the discount may be percentage discount for an item or an amount of a discount. The user may enter the discount manually via the user interface 108.

The method of FIG. 2 includes applying 210 the discount to the purchase transaction. Continuing the aforementioned example, the transaction module 104 may apply the discount to a purchase transaction for the item 112. The cost for the item 112 may be reduced by the discount, and the discount displayed to the customer via a user interface and paper receipt. Subsequently, the customer may pay the discounted cost for the item 112. Further, the retail personnel may store the discount document 114 for subsequent auditing of the purchase transaction.

The method of FIG. 2 includes processing 212 an audit of the purchase transaction. Continuing the aforementioned example, a retail manager or other retail personnel with proper authority may use a computing device, such as the server 106 to audit the purchase transaction. For example, a record of the purchase transaction may be stored at the server 106 for subsequent auditing. The retail manager may view the record by use of the server 106. Further, the retail manager may be provided with the discount document 114 to verify the discount provided by the discount document 114 to the purchase transaction. The retail manager may subsequently enter information into the server 106 indicating verification of the discount applied to the purchase transaction and the discount document 114.

In accordance with embodiments, FIGS. 3-6 illustrate screen displays of an example sequence of windows for receiving user input for associating an identifier with a discount document. Referring to FIG. 3, the window indicates an interface for input of a coupon type. In this example, the user may use a user interface for selecting either an amount off an item, a percentage off an item, an amount off the order, or a percentage off the order. Near the bottom of the window shown in FIG. 3, the user may enter a discount amount (e.g., an amount or percentage). The window shown in FIG. 4 depicts the display screen after the user has selected an amount off an item and the discount amount of $0.50. Subsequently, the user may select the “OK” button to continue.

Subsequent to selection of the “OK” button in FIG. 4, the window shown in FIG. 5 may be displayed and includes a listing of items for purchase in a single purchase transaction. The user may select one of the items for application of the discount. In this example, the user selected the cola for application of the $0.50 discount. The user may select “OK” to enter the selection. The window of FIG. 6 shows the discount being applied to the cola.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While the embodiments have been described in connection with the various embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims. 

What is claimed:
 1. A method comprising: at a processor and memory: receiving an identifier of a document associated with a discount; receiving user input that associates the identifier with a purchase transaction; applying the discount to the purchase transaction; and processing an audit of the purchase transaction based on the document.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier of a document comprises scanning a machine-readable image of the document to determine the identifier.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a prompt via a user interface for requesting the identifier, and wherein receiving the user input comprises receiving manual entry of the identifier of the document.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is first user input, and wherein the method further comprises: presenting a prompt via a user interface for requesting information indicating the discount; and receiving second user input that indicates the discount.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the discount comprises applying the discount to an item for purchase in the purchase transaction.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the document is a coupon for purchase of the item.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether the identifier is recognized by a point of sale system; and in response to determining that the identifier is not recognized by the point of sale system: prompting manual entry of information for the document and the discount; and receiving the manual entry.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the manual entry comprises receiving the identifier and the discount via a user interface.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the audit comprises receiving user input verifying the discount and the document.
 10. A system comprising: a transaction module comprising a processor and memory configured to: receive an identifier of a document associated with a discount; receive user input that associates the identifier with a purchase transaction; apply the discount to the purchase transaction; and process an audit of the purchase transaction based on the document.
 11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a scanner configured to scan a machine-readable image of the document to determine the identifier.
 12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a user interface configured to: present a prompt for requesting the identifier; and receive manual entry of the identifier of the document.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the user input is first user input, and wherein the system further comprises a user interface configured to: present a prompt via a user interface for requesting information indicating the discount; and receive second user input that indicates the discount.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the transaction module is configured to apply the discount to an item for purchase in the purchase transaction.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the document is a coupon for purchase of the item.
 16. The system of claim 10, wherein the transaction module is configured to: determine whether the identifier is recognized by a point of sale system; and in response to determining that the identifier is not recognized by the point of sale system: prompt manual entry of information for the document and the discount; and receive the manual entry.
 17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a user interface configured to receive the identifier and the discount via a user interface.
 18. The system of claim 10, further comprising a computing device configured to receive user input verifying the discount and the document. 